Month: October 2017

This is a big week. Halloween is always fun. All the kids in school dress up and we put on quite a parade. I have been thinking about what to be this year for weeks. I have trouble making up my mind. What seems like a cool idea one day is not that good of an idea the next. I decided last Friday to be a storm trooper. I intended to work on the costume over the weekend but ended up having to do other things. Now I have to make the costume in one day! Andy told me yesterday he was going to dress up as a boy like me. Imagine an ant dressing up as a fourth-grade boy! That will be strange. Andy is looking forward to going door to door asking for candy with me. He knows he will get plenty!

Being a parent is dynamic. What works well today might not work tomorrow. A good parent is capable of adjusting to change and making adjustments in what is needed in light of new realities. In order to navigate parenting you need to know your core values–and then stick to those values.

These values must be your compass. Know if the worldview of your culture is not in line with your values. Be intentional in instilling what is valued to you in the heart of your child. Never assume that they will “just get it.” They will not! You, as the parent, need to teach your child in the way that he or she should go. Your direct engagement in the child’s life gives comfort and security to your child

Dad is traveling for his business this week. Mom is still not feeling well after two weeks of being sick and Dad even seems concerned. Before he left on his trip he got us three kids all together and asked us to help Mom and be extra kind to each other. Sometimes my brother and I fight with each other. I guess it’s just what boys do, but it really gets on Mom’s nerves. My sister Becky gets very upset when we’re going at it. Maybe we need to begin acting as brothers and good friends and not as enemies. After all, we really do like each other. We promised Dad that we would be helpful to Mom while he’s traveling this week. I wish he didn’t have to leave. I miss him when he has to go out of town. I guess I need to start really praying for Mom to get better. I did two weeks ago but forgot to pray for her last week. When she is not feeling well our house does not run right.

Telling stories with meaning as a parent are quite easy. You need to OBSERVE, LISTEN, RELATE, RECALL, and CONCLUDE. Here is what I did as a parent when telling stories to my two girls:

Observed what my child was dealing with that day. This was foundational for using my experience to create a story.

Listened to what my child was expressing. My kids told me what they needed to hear. Yours will, too.

Related to my child’s situation by saying, “Once, when I was about your age, I had a similar experience…”. This began my story from my life.

Recalled with details, which helped my story come to life. Painting a vivid word picture, using mood, colors, time of year, weather, smells, circumstances, other people who were involved, etc. helped make the story real. Details transformed my story into a life-learning adventure.

Concluded by summing up what I learned.

Connect the lesson you learned to their experience. Don’t be surprised if your child says to you a few days later, “Tell me that story again about when you were a kid….”

Well, I went camping and decided it was not a good idea to take Andy. Boy, am I glad! There was a big anthill not far from our camp site. My friend, Fred, doesn’t like insects at all. He freaked out and made a real mess of the anthill. Ants went crazy, and some of them got into Fred’s socks and bit him. I’m sure glad Andy didn’t have to witness this! It would have stressed him out!

The camping trip was really great. Dad and I spent a lot of time together doing stuff we like to do. We hiked, swam in the lake (but it was cold), and at night ate s’mores that we made over the campfire. There was a good speaker that told stories and applied the stories to us kids. For once someone talked to us as kids and not as adults. After breakfast, he told us about how God is interested in the big things and the tiny things. I thought of Andy! I’m going to tell Andy all about what Dad and I did together, but not about what Fred did to the anthill.